How Sweet Our Future Will Be
by pandorabox82
Summary: They've known each other for close to twenty years, but Penelope finds that Aaron still has some surprises up his sleeve when it comes to their relationship.


Penelope brushed her hands against her skirt. She didn't know why she was nervous, but the very idea that she and Aaron were going on their third date, and for some reason, this seemed to be important to her brain. Maybe it was the fact that they had known each other for almost twenty years now, or maybe it was that she was still uncertain about how someone like her had become attached to someone like him. Still, she knew that there wasn't any way that she would complain, since she had adored him for so long. But still, she wanted to be certain that she looked her best for him.

The buzzer went off for her apartment, and she looked up with a start, getting to her feet and hurrying over to answer it, allowing Aaron into her building. This was it, and she tried to fight down the urge to suddenly develop a migraine. Before that plan could form fully in her mind, there was a firm knocking on her door, and she plastered a nervous smile on her lips as she opened it. "Hey! You're a little early," she replied as she moved aside so that he could enter.

"The traffic was lighter than I thought it would be. Are you ready to go?"

She gave him a small nod as she bent to pick up her purse, slinging it over her shoulder before taking hold of his outstretched hand. He was so warm, and that thought brought a true smile to her lips as they left. It didn't take long to make certain her door was locked, and then he was guiding her out to his car. "So, how is Jack adjusting to his first semester at Yale?" she asked as she buckled her belt.

"Much better than I thought he might. I was a little concerned about the fact that he graduated a year early, given all the hell that Reid went through."

"Yeah, but he had a PhD by the time he was Jack's age. I think that that makes a little difference." She nudged him in the ribs delicately, trying to get him to smile, and then his lips twitched upwards, even as he rolled his eyes a little. "Hey, an early start means that he can also get to work earlier on setting aside for your retirement."

"I think that I'll be set when it comes to the golden years of life. Especially if I have you to look after me."

Her eyebrows shot up a little at that, since they hadn't really discussed where things were headed between them. Yes, she wanted to spend as many days together with him as she possibly could, but it seemed like Aaron had been thinking a few years further into the future than she had. "I don't give sponge baths, just so you know," she shot back, giving him a cheeky wink.

His rich laugh filled the car, and she sighed a little as she pressed her back against the car seat, suddenly starting to think about the future that might be ahead for them. Being there for Jack's graduation from college, when he got married, when he started his family. Christmases spent with Jessica and her wife. Birthdays where they celebrated each other for all they had accomplished during their latest trip around the sun. There was something so sweet about the idea of that future, spent with him, that she found herself tearing up and she tried to discreetly pull a Kleenex out of her purse to dab at her eyes before her mascara ran.

"I wouldn't ask you to do that, I'd just suggest that we share the tub when it gets to be that time."

"Are you asking me to move in with you?" Penelope had tried to sound light, frothy, but there was a tremor in her words that revealed her true feelings of apprehension and fear.

"I am, yes."

"After two dates?"

He let out a soft sigh as he slipped his right hand off the wheel and reached out for hers without taking his eyes off the road. Penelope clasped his hand gently as she waited for his answer. "I think that this has been building for a lot longer than two dates. We've known each other since before Jack was here, but I wasn't in a place to look at you this way. And so, we built a strong friendship, one that I've come to cherish over the years, even as we've bounced between different partners. And now that we've settled into something a little more than friends, I find it quite easy to be impulsive with my feelings. So, yes, after two official dates, I think that I want you to move in with me. It's very lonely in the house now that Jack is gone, but that's not why I'm hoping you say yes."

Penelope felt her lungs start to burn a little and realized that she had been holding her breath the entire time Aaron had been speaking. Releasing it, she squeezed his hand a few times before tapping her thumb against his skin. "Would you be willing to give me until the end of our date before I give you an answer? This is something rather momentous to just spring on me, after all."

"I suppose that I can do that." She glanced up at his face, taking in how soft and open his expression was. That was the look he usually reserved for Jack or Jessica or Beth, and that was when she realized that he truly was in love with her. That realization stole her breath away, and she knew exactly what her answer would be, even if she didn't tell him until the end of their evening.

Finally, he pulled into the parking lot for the restaurant, and Penelope clambered out of the car, shaking her hips a little in an effort to get rid of the wrinkles that had formed during the drive. Aaron came around to her side, and she slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow as they went to the entrance. She listened as he gave his name, and then they were being led to a booth on the side of the restaurant. It wasn't exactly secluded, but it did lend them a bit of privacy, which she was glad for. "Have you ever been here?"

"No, it's a little more swanky than what Kevin or Sam could afford. And Erin always preferred to cook together." He frowned a little at those words. "Six months of the best home cooking a woman could ask for, but our personalities didn't mesh, despite how great the sex was. She ended up back with Rossi, and we've been the best of friends ever since."

"I see. But forgive me if I don't ask for any of the personal details."

"I wouldn't expect you to, since we'll still have to see them at team get togethers." She gave him a broad wink as she picked up her menu and began to look it over. There were a lot of dishes that sounded tempting, but she finally settled on a butternut squash lasagna and set the menu aside in order to watch him make up his mind. "Speaking of that, if I were to move in with you, we could ask the team to help me get everything from my apartment to your house and then have an impromptu party afterwards."

"I was actually thinking the same thing, Penelope." He gave her a small smile over his menu, and she felt a warm blush steal across her cheeks as their server appeared with the drinks they had ordered. Aaron gestured for her to place her order before he put his order in, and then they were alone once more. "I really hope this means that I'll be getting a positive answer to my question."

"I know that you're a great profiler, Aaron, so you probably know what my answer is going to be, but let's leave some mystique for the end of the night?" He nodded before reaching across the table and picking up her hand, threading their fingers together as he stared into her eyes. There was something so romantic about the moment, and she let out a soft sigh as they started to discuss how her day had gone. "This case hasn't been too terribly brutal, but I know that it's been bothering Emily for some reason. I guess that there are still some triggers left from her time with Clyde."

"I have issues with knives as a result of Foyet, so it makes sense. I'd imagine if you asked Erin, she'd tell you that the ghost of John Curtis still haunts her. Just like I'm certain that Battle still haunts you as well." She nodded before reaching for her wine and taking a small sip. "We've all been touched by evil, and it has left some deep scars on our psyche."

"Yeah, but I try not to let it bother me, since I don't want to be tied to the past. I want to move forward into a bright future with the person I love." She gave him a soft smile as she made herself a little more comfortable in her chair as they waited for their appetizer to arrive. "I was thinking, though, that I might head up to Boston to see Alex and James for a week or so. I've been meaning to visit for more than two years, but life has just gotten in the way. If you wanted to come with me, we could visit Jack on our way through."

He shrugged a little as he swirled his wine in his glass. "That might be nice. And that way he would know we weren't sticking around. We could leave on a Friday afternoon, spend the evening with Jack and drive the last three hours to Boston the next morning. When were you looking to go?"

"Whenever you can get the time off. I'm a little more flexible, since I have quite a bit of accrued vacation time to use, and have been urged to use it sooner rather than later. Kevin can always take over for me for a week or two."

He nodded and took another sip of wine. "I'll just have to let my associates know that I'll be taking a week off, so that they can cover the cases on my docket. Thankfully, nothing is going to go to trial in the next month, so if we leave next Friday, and return the Sunday following, they shouldn't be too put out."

"That's settled then. Let me text Emily to let her know of my intentions now, so I don't forget about it by the end of the evening." He chuckled a little as he nodded, and Penelope popped her tongue out at him as she tapped her message to Emily. "I have a good memory for some things, Aaron, but I know that we're going to have other things on our minds when we get home, so it's better that this be taken care of now. Unless you want to sleep in your own bed tonight?" she purred out, giving him a sharp look.

"I get the message, darling," he replied as he set his glass down and reached across the table to pick up her hand, squeezing it softly. Moments later, their appetizers arrived, and she spread her napkin out on her lap before she dug in. Aaron followed suit, watching her carefully. There was something so sweet about being studied by him, as if he was seeing her with fresh eyes all over again, and she allowed herself to relax her face, to turn her lips up in a tiny smile as she ate. "You know, I do have one regret left from my time with the BAU."

"Oh?" she asked as she speared another shrimp.

"Yes. I regret that we never truly were able to help Elle. I know that she blamed me for getting her shot, and that she couldn't integrate back into the team in the aftermath, but I still feel like I should have been able to help her more."

"She went back home, started a new life, and has two beautiful daughters. And before you ask, no, I am not in contact with her. Just like I kept tabs on Gideon after he left us, I did the same for Elle, and Kate. They're family, and that's what you do for family. I emailed her once, trying to catch up with her, but she never wrote back. I took her silence to mean that she wasn't willing to reopen old wounds, so I never contacted her again. And you're right, I would love to heal that wound, but sometimes there are things that we cannot fix."

Penelope found herself blinking a few times, trying to clear her eyes of tears. This was supposed to be a happy evening, after all. Aaron looked like he was about to say something when their main courses came, so instead, he just gave her a small nod and smile before they started to eat. Penelope was pleased with the choice she had made, finding it delicious, even though she spent more of her time looking at Aaron than at her food. "Do you want to split a piece of cake?" he asked as he pushed his plate to the side of the table.

"That sounds great! It will put a small dent in my cravings, after all."

She tried not to giggle as Aaron choked on a mouthful of water, and then gave him an alluring smile as she arched her eyebrow. "Oh, I will make certain that all your cravings are satisfied by the end of our evening together. Trust me on that." It was her turn to squeak and flush when she felt his foot rub up and down her leg, causing shivers to run through her body. "Is something wrong? You look a little flushed," he teased.

"You know exactly what's wrong, Aaron!" she hissed as she shifted in her seat and stared at him balefully as their server approached them. "We'd like to split a piece of the chocolate cake, please." She gave her a sweet smile before turning her attention back to Aaron. "Now, since we're nearing the end of our meal, I suppose that I can give you my answer now. Yes, I will move in with you. We'll ask our friends to help me get everything packed up and brought over to your home. And then we can officially live in sin."

"Or I could make an honest woman of you, in time. When you're ready. If that's what you want. I must admit that my mother's Southern sensibilities still run through my veins."

She giggled as the server set the dessert down in front of them, along with two forks. "We all struggle to break free from the things that we're taught, and sometimes we can do it. Other times, not so much. But I suppose that we can live in sin while working towards something a little more permanent. Especially since you seem to be an injury magnet, and if we don't have a marriage license, I don't get to make decisions about you. Dave gets that privilege, since he's still your medical proxy. So while I grow accustomed to living with you, I will make a concerted effort to think like a wife."

"Does that mean I can expect my slippers and a glass of whiskey waiting for me at the door when I get home every night?" he asked as he broke off a piece of cake and ate it.

"Only if you pour it yourself," she shot back, winking at him as she took her own bite of cake. "Umm, this is as sweet as I know our future will be. Even if there are a few wrinkles that we need to iron out as we go along." Aaron nodded and gave her a soft smile, one that she easily returned, and she suddenly couldn't wait to be home with him, letting him love on her as they stepped into a new part of their lives together.


End file.
